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20130629

16-million of the 51-million South Africans now survive solely on social welfare -- and soon this will be 17,5 million people. By 2014 these welfare-recipients may well be costing the taxpayers more than R116billion - but SA only has 3,5million taxpayers who contribute above 87% of all taxes.This small but crucial group of taxpayers is thus increasingly burdened with South Africa's lavish social welfare budget.

Moreover, the SA State encourages heavy political pressure to be placed on this small taxpayer group - many of whom are business people -- with calls to nationalize all the remaining private properties, with the slogan 'economic freedom in our lifetime'.

Buying votes for the ANC

Political analysts often also view the social-welfare budget as a 'vote-buying' device to keep the ruling African National Congress party in power, since 98% of all its recipients are blacks. And a major problem also remains: the high level of social-welfare fraud.

Rising taxes

In the 2010/2011 fiscal year the SA revenue service said it collected R674 billion in tax revenuelink

In the 2009 fiscal year the SA revenue service collected R154.1 billion in tax revenue mostly from 3,5 million taxpayers link

June 28 2013 Independent Newspapers reporter Michelle Jones michelle.jones@inl.co.za writes from Cape Town that in the 2013/14 book year, more than 16-million of the 51-million South Africans are already living on social welfare. And, the ANC-regime also warned, that 2,1million children still have to be added to the budget.

Who is going to pay for it?

We insert this important note - namely the fact that the number of taxpayers far outnumber the social-welfare recipients. Solidarity Research Institute has found that by 2011/11, about 2,1million people already paid 92% of all the income tax, and 1,4million paid 82% of all the income tax. In the 2010/2011 fiscal year the SA revenue Service said it collected R674billion in tax revenue...

It can be seen from the above 2010/2011 taxpayer comparisons, that the number of taxpayers who contributed the most taxes did not rise very much from 2009, when there still were 3.5 million assessed taxpayers (with a total taxable income of R632.6 billion), of that they were liable to pay R154.1 billion. Of them 28.8% were between 35 to 44 years old and 56.7% were male, 3.9% (136,124) of them had business income. Although the number of tax payers has increased from previous years, most taxpayers fell below the R120,000 taxable income threshold and so were not required to submit an income tax return and were therefore not included in the 3.5 million assessed taxpayers. In 2009, R154,1billion was paid to the SARS in income tax. The following year, they claimed they gathered R674 billion, basically from the same taxbase. "2010 Tax Statistics – Highlights". SARS. 2010 p://www.sars.co.za/Tools/Documents/DocumentDownload.asp?FileID=66375 and http://www.mises.co.za/2012/03/how-many-taxpayers-are-there-really/

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Since 2010, the number of people on social welfare clearly also far outnumber people with actual jobs in South Africa, the research by the South African Institute of Race Relations revealed.

The SAIRR compared employment data from the South African Social Security Agency Sassa with the number of people who receive social grants. It was found that ever since 2010, for every 100 people on social welfare just 90 people were employed. The number of South Africans on social grants had increased by more than four times in the last decade, while the number of employed people had remained almost constant.

In 2009 there were were 3.5 million assessed taxpayers with a total taxable income of R632.6 billion of which they were liable to pay R154.1 billion. Of them 28.8% were between 35 to 44 years old and 56.7% were male, 3.9% (136,124) of them had business income. Although the number of tax payers has increased from previous years, most taxpayers fell below the R120,000 taxable income threshold and so were not required to submit an income tax return and were therefore not included in the 3.5 million assessed taxpayers

This shows a dramatic rise since 2001: for every 100 people who were receiving social grants, 330 people still had jobs in 2001.

In 2014 the SA social grant expenses are expected to rise above R113 billion.

Assa said in a press release: “The highest proportions will be spent on old-age pension and child support grant transfers, at 39 percent and 37 percent respectively. And that excludes an estimated 2.1million children who are eligible, but are not receiving grants. "If all eligible children received this grant, it would push social grant expenditure up by more than half a billion rand” read the release. http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/more-people-on-welfare-than-working-1.1539021#.Uc6F9NhBPGg

Value of individual social grants per month, 2013/14:

Old-age pension: R1,260

War veterans: R1,280

Disability: R1,260

Foster care: R800

Care dependency: R1,260

Child support: R290

Grant-in-aid: R290

And this heavy expenditure on social welfare in a society where unemployment has doubled since the end of apartheid in 1994, puts a heavy strain on the country’s tax base.

How Many Taxpayers Are Contributing the Most?

Paul Joubert, researcher at the Solidarity Research Institute, wrote on March 27 2012: "About 3,2 million people were responsible for payment of 99% of all income tax in 2010/11. Approximately 2,1million people paid 92% of all income tax and 1,4million people paid 82% of all income tax.... In fact, South Africa has only approximately 3,2million taxpayers and, strictly speaking, between only 2,1million tor 1,4 million pay truly significant amounts of tax. "Concerned citizens who claim that there are only five million taxpayers in South Africa are incorrect, but the real figures give even greater cause for concern." http://www.mises.co.za/2012/03/how-many-taxpayers-are-there-really/

SASSA acting head Lerato Moloi also warned: "South Africa’s tax base will not grow fast enough to keep supporting the millions of vulnerable individuals who rely on monthly cash transfers from the State.”Moloi also added, writing in the institute’s most recent Facts publication, that 'while the state continued to push money into social services, particularly social grants, the budget deficit continued to grow. Moreover, "the money invested in free schooling also does not seem to be improving the quality of education, which would produce skilled employees and in turn, contribute positively to the economy,” she noted.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan - in his Budget speech earlier this year - also said that 'spending on social assistance would reach R120bn next year (...) but that it was not a substitute for job creation.”

It can be seen from the 2010/2011 taxpayer comparisons, that the number of taxpayers who contribute the most taxes did not rise from 2009 - but this small group also paid dramatically higher taxes when they reached 2010. In 2009, there still were 3.5 million assessed taxpayers with a total taxable income of R632.6 billion, of that they were liable to pay R154.1 billion. Of them 28.8% were between 35 to 44 years old and 56.7% were male, 3.9% (136,124) of them had business income. Although the number of tax payers increased from previous years, most of these taxpayers fell below the R120,000 taxable income threshold and so were not required to submit an income tax return and were therefore not included in the 3.5 million assessed taxpayers for that year. "2010 Tax Statistics – Highlights". SARS. 2010 http://www.sars.co.za/Tools/Documents/DocumentDownload.asp?FileID=66375

20130620

Poster war on Twitter highlights the hidden genocide of white South Africans -

It is often said that one picture is worth a thousand words. This week South African tweeter @ExUnitateVires started posting representative pictures of 70,000 white South Africans who have been murdered since the ANC-regime took over in 1994. Let these posters speak for themselves - and the facts behind them:

In 1994, South Africa had more than 5,5million white residents and 41-million black residents. The majority of the whites lived in the thriving, well-ordered Central Business Districts of major financial and political centres: the Voortrekker-founded cities of Pretoria and Bloemfontein had the largest concentration of Afrikaner residents;

Johannesburg: City of Gold:

Johannesburg City of Gold Coca Cola Advertisement 1958

Above: In the financial capital of Johannesburg, this brief clip from 1958 states that 1million whites lived in the 'city of gold'. Its central business district thrived with young white working-class couples living in orderly apartment buildings.

The BBC's Louis Theroux's report about Johannesburg in 2013:

Similar scenes can be found from the central business districts of Cape Town, Port Elizabeth. Durban.

Yet by 2013, there were at least 51-million blacks in South Africa, all the CBD's were overrun with black-African migrants from the rest of Africa - and only 3,4million Afrikaners remained in the entire country.

By June 19 2013 the US State Department issued warnings to its travelers to stay out of the (100% black) ' Critical Crime Cities ' of Pretoria, Johannesburg and even Cape Town.

Where did all the 'whites' go"?

In 1994, South Africa had more than 5,5-million 'white' residents - including 4,5-million Afrikaners whose forebears have lived there since 1656. By 2013, less than 3,5million Afrikaners remain according to the latest census. Traditionally Afrikaner voortrekker cities such as Pretoria and Bloemfontein were 100% Afrikaner cities.

By 2013, the US State Department issued warnings to its travelers to stay out of the (100% black) 'Critical Crime Cities' of Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town. Where did all the 'whites' go"?

US government issues "Critical Crime Threat Spots' for South Africa's major cities: Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town

June 19 2013 - A warning issued to tourists by the United States says Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town are "critical crime threat spots." The warning was released in a document by the US state department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security. It states: "Violent and confrontational crime is a major concern. Such crimes include home invasion robberies, burglaries, car-jackings, street muggings, smash-and-grabs, organised attacks on commercial and retail centres, bombings of ATM's, as well as attacks on cash-in-transit vehicles and personnel."The report warns visitors that South African criminals do not hesitate to use lethal weapons and that townships should be avoided. "visitors should be aware that criminal activity is prevalent throughout the country and can be violent. Violent crimes, such as armed robbery, carjacking, mugging, "smash-and-grab" attacks on vehicles, and other criminal acts are still common and do affect visitors and resident U.S. citizens.

Visitors to the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria and U.S. Consulates General in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg should be aware of the risk of muggings, several of which have occurred near U.S. diplomatic facilities. While measures have been taken to address concerns about potential muggings, visitors approaching U.S. government facilities should be aware of their personal security and carry as little money and valuables as possible.Visitors and residents are advised of ongoing criminal activity involving organized crime gangs targeting individuals and commercial businesses at shopping centers and other public places. Once a victim has been identified, he/she may be followed back to his/her residence or hotel and robbed. Robberies often involve weapons; the use of force is used from the moment of attack and generally escalates greatly for those offering some form of resistance.

These gangs target people of opportunity and not always appearing to be affluent. Crime affects all sectors of society to include those driving expensive cars, wearing eye-catching jewelry, flashing large amounts of cash, and/or making high-value purchases. Criminals also gravitate towards “soft” targets - people who appear preoccupied and do not pay attention to their immediate surroundings. Visitors who believe they are being followed should travel directly to a police station or other public location of safety.

Cash-in-transit (armored vehicles) robberies remain common; tourists should try to avoid traveling near these vehicles and personnel during a cash delivery or pick-up, particularly at shopping centers or other public locations. Crimes against property, such as carjacking, have often been accompanied by violent acts, including murder, when victims resist or are slow to respond to attackers’ demands.

South Africa also has the highest reported occurrence of rape in the world. Foreigners are not specifically targeted, but several have been the victims of rape. Victims of violent crime, especially rape, are strongly encouraged to seek immediate medical attention, including antiretroviral therapy against HIV/AIDS. Questions about how to receive such treatment should be directed to the nearest U.S. consulate.

Criminal activity, such as assault, armed robbery, and theft, is particularly high in areas surrounding certain hotels and public transportation centers, especially in major cities. Theft of passports and other valuables is most likely to occur at airports, bus terminals, and train stations. A number of U.S. citizens have been mugged or violently attacked on commuter and metro trains, especially between Johannesburg and Pretoria.

In the Western Cape, police resources have been strained by continuing gang conflicts and vigilante violence in the low-income areas and informal settlements around Cape Town. People who are unfamiliar with the Cape Flats/Khayelitsha area, surrounding townships, and squatter camps should not visit these areas. Additionally, travelers should be aware that muggings have occurred along

travelers should be aware that muggings have occurred along popular hiking routes on Table Mountain. Visitors to Table Mountain should be vigilant, hike in groups, and not carry/display valuables.

Crime in Durban remains high. Visitors should avoid traveling in the city center after dark, as well as all travel to the surrounding townships. The suburbs north and west of the city are generally considered to be safer than the city center, but all visitors should remain vigilant and exercise situational awareness at all times.

If confronted by an armed individual, you should immediately comply, and avoid making sudden movements. Any hesitation on your part could be perceived as a threat and may result in unnecessary violence.

ATMs: Criminals often loiter near ATMs, targeting persons withdrawing cash. A common scheme is the “Good Samaritan” fraud, where a criminal attempts to “help out” with a particular ATM transaction. Often the ATM in these situations has been tampered with to record the card information, and the “Good Samaritan” will then take the information and use it to withdraw cash later. This is a prevalent crime, and both residents and visitors have been targeted. Do not accept “assistance” from anyone, or agree to assist others with ATM transactions. Travelers should also try to avoid using ATMs after business hours, on the street, or in remote locations.

Criminals have also used commercial explosives to blow up ATMs in South Africa. ATM bombings have taken place in the early hours of the morning in remote or isolated areas, although some attacks have taken place at gas stations and shopping complexes. Based on these threats, the following security precautions are recommended: Avoid using ATMs in dark, remote, or isolated areas. Never allow someone to assist you at the ATM, and never assist anyone else at the ATM, either. ATMs located inside shopping malls, hotels, and banks are preferred since they are normally high-traffic areas, and are monitored by security guards and cameras. Avoid using an ATM with a cord or any foreign object attached to it. If you notice a suspicious device on or alteration to an ATM, immediately leave the area, take cover, and notify the police. Shrapnel and debris from an explosion can travel long distances and cause serious injury or death. Before withdrawing money, scan the area for any suspicious persons or activity. Should anyone approach you while you are withdrawing money, immediately cancel the transaction, remove your card, and leave the area.

Incidents of credit card fraud, counterfeit U.S. currency, and various check-cashing scams have also been reported. When giving your credit card to a store or restaurant employee for processing, do not let the card out of your sight. Most South African restaurants and gas stations have portable credit card machines that can be brought to your table or car.

Hotel Security: Thefts from hotel rooms throughout the country remain a concern. Travelers are strongly encouraged to make use of hotel-provided room safes or lock-boxes at the front desk for all valuables.

Financial and Romance Scams: Visitors should also beware of telephone, internet, and e-mail fraud schemes, which attempt to win the confidence of unsuspecting persons who are persuaded to enter into a romantic relationship via email, or to provide financial assistance, or to travel to South Africa and assist in a supposedly lucrative business venture. Since 2008, there have been several cases of U.S. citizens losing thousands of dollars and putting themselves in danger by responding to either romantic or financial scams (also known as “419 scams”). “Lonely hearts” scams are a common and growing problem, with “engagements” via internet used to lure victims into sending money to assist with supposed education, health or job problems. Victims have lost tens-of-thousands of dollars on these scams. If you are contacted by someone claiming to be a U.S. citizen you met on the internet or only know online asking you for financial assistance, instruct them to contact the nearest U.S. consulate. You should exercise extreme caution when sending funds to individuals overseas for any reason whether your relationship with them is of a business or personal nature. Some scam victims have traveled to South Africa only to lose more money, and in a few cases, to be physically attacked or kidnapped for ransom. Click to view the State Department’s financial scam web page. If you have lost money in a financial scam, please file a report with your local police and with the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Victims can also report Internet fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) online or by phone, toll-free, at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). To check on a business’s legitimacy while in the United States, contact the International Trade Administration, Room 3317, Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230, telephone: 1-800-USA-TRADE or 202-482-5149, fax: 202-482-5198. If you are abroad, contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

Car Thefts and Carjacking: Carjacking and thefts from cars remain serious problems. Doors should remain locked and windows rolled up at all times. Motorists are urged to hide bags, cell phones, and other valuables from view at all times and to be extremely cautious when approaching intersections. “Smash-and-grab” robberies are common throughout South Africa, particularly in urban areas, at traffic lights, and at highway off-ramps. A criminal, sometimes posing as a vendor or beggar, will walk between lines of vehicles waiting at an intersection, surveying the contents for valuables. Once an item of value is identified, the perpetrator will quickly smash the window and grab the item off the seat before fleeing, often before the driver can determine what happened. In another scenario, an individual (or two working in tandem) may indicate to a driver an apparent flat tire or other problem and wait for the driver to pull over or exit the car before grabbing exposed valuables.

If you see a car pulled over to the side of the road do not stop to offer assistance, but rather call the police to report the vehicle’s location so that authorities can render assistance. You should avoid carrying anything of value inside the car (e.g., briefcases, purses, laptops, etc.) that could attract potential assailants. When parking your vehicle, use parking lots that are well-lit and have a security presence, and physically check that the vehicle is locked before you walk away. Criminals have perfected the technique of blocking the wireless alarm remote signal and either stealing the vehicle or waiting inside the vehicle for the driver to return in order to rob them.

Criminals, working in groups, have placed debris on the road (rocks, bricks, shards of metal, etc.) in an effort to puncture a vehicle’s tires. Another less-frequently used tactic is for criminals to throw rocks, bricks, paint, or eggs from freeway overpasses onto moving vehicles to damage cars and disorient drivers, forcing them to pull over. Other criminals hide along the road and rob the driver once he has pulled over to inspect the damage.

Airport Safety: Travelers leaving the airport have been targeted by criminals for robbery while en route to their hotels or places of residence. As such, all travelers should be extremely vigilant when leaving the airport and ensure that a reliable mode of transportation is used (such as arranging pick-up directly with a hotel, or using airport-approved modes of transport, such as Gautrain or official metered taxis from the taxi rank).

Concerted efforts have been made to reduce luggage theft and pilferage at International Airport Johannesburg with noticeable results. However, travelers are encouraged to lock their suitcases when possible and avoid placing valuables in checked baggage. A good practice, regardless of destination, is to make an inventory of items and contact your air carrier immediately if you experience a loss.

Criminals are known to also target travelers at ATMs in airports. Travelers should refer to the above section, “ATM Scams,” for security precautions at ATMs.

Firearms: Travelers to South Africa may not import or take in-transit any firearms or ammunition without a temporary import or in-transit permit issued by the South African Police Service. Information on how to obtain a permit for firearms for personal protection and hunting can be found at the South African Police Service’s Firearms website.

If you violate South Africa’s laws, even unknowingly, you may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned. Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in South Africa are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines.

Engaging in trafficking or sexual conduct with children or using/disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime, prosecutable in the United States. Please see our information on Criminal Penalties. Based on the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, bilateral agreements with certain countries, and customary international law, if U.S. citizens are arrested in South Africa, they should request that the police, prison officials, or other authorities alert the nearest U.S. consulate of the arrest, and to have communications forwarded to the nearest U.S. consulate.

Notification by local authorities of U.S. citizens arrested in South Africa is rare. As such, U.S. citizens should request consular notification in the event that they are arrested.

HIV and AIDS remain major public health concerns in the Republic of South Africa. According to the UNAIDS Report on the global AIDS epidemic (2010), about 5.6 million people are estimated to be living with HIV in South Africa, with 17.8 percent of the adult population (15-49) affected. Women account for approximately 55 percent of HIV-positive people. Women in the age group 25-29 are the worst-affected, with prevalence rates of up to 40 percent. For men, the peak is reached at older ages, with an estimated 10 percent prevalence among men older than 50 years.

We recommend you exercise appropriate precautions if engaging in sexual activity, or if you are exposed to a blood source other than that supplied by a hospital for transfusion purposes.

Accessibility: While in South Africa, U.S. citizens with disabilities may find accessibility and accommodation very different from what is found in the United States. South African law mandates access to buildings for persons with disabilities, but these laws are rarely enforced. Even in government buildings, it is not unusual to encounter entrances with multiple stairs and elevators that have not been operational for some time, and many private businesses are no different. However, many of the tourist attractions, along with restaurants near the tourist attractions, are somewhat better-equipped with ramps and other options to facilitate access. If you are a traveler with a disability, you should plan ahead to ensure that your lodging and planned activities are able to accommodate any special requirements.

Private medical facilities are good in urban areas and in the vicinity of game parks, but they may be limited elsewhere. Pharmacies are well-stocked, and equivalents to most American medicines are available. However, travelers taking specific medications should bring an adequate supply for their entire stay and a prescription with them. Nearly all private South African hospitals are owned by one of the following three corporations:

In many places, doctors and hospitals still expect payment in cash at the time of service. Your regular U.S. health insurance may not cover doctors and hospital visits in other countries. If your policy does not go with you when you travel, it is a very good idea to take out a temporary insurance policy for your trip, ideally one that covers air ambulance evacuations. For more information, please see our medical insurance overseas page.

Malaria: While most of South Africa is malaria-free, malaria risk exists throughout the year in rural low-altitude areas of Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, including Kruger National Park and neighboring game reserves. Risk also exists in the coastal lowlands of KwaZulu-Natal north of the Tugela River (including in Zululand, but excluding urban areas of Richards Bay). Risk is much lower from June to September. Visitors should prepare accordingly and use malaria prophylaxis and mosquito repellent. For information on malaria, its prevention, protection from insect bites, and anti-malarial drugs, please visit the CDC's malaria web page.

Tuberculosis is an increasingly serious health concern in South Africa. For further information, please consult the CDC's Travel Notice on TB. Many insect– and tick-borne illnesses are present. Tick and insect precautions are recommended. Schistosomiasis is present in far northeastern and eastern coastal freshwater bodies, including untreated water around game parks and inland resorts. Travelers should avoid freshwater exposure in these areas. Note the Yellow Fever information under “Entry Requirements.” Please also note the information on South Africa’s high HIV/AIDS prevalence under “Special Circumstances” above.

Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747) or via the CDC’s website. For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad, consult the World Health Organization’s (WHO) website. Further general health information for travelers is available from the WHO.

TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS: South African law does not require an international driver’s license for U.S. citizen tourists who are licensed to drive in the United States and who are in South Africa for less than six months. A valid driver’s license from any U.S. state or territory that has the signature and photo of the driver is valid to drive in South Africa for stays of less than six months. However, while South African law does not require an international driver’s license, insurance companies for both long-term residents and rental car customers often require proof of a South African or international driver’s license in order to honor an insurance claim, even when such proof was not requested at the time the policy was secured. Unlike the United States, where traffic moves on the right-hand side of the road, traffic in South Africa moves on the left, and the steering wheel is on the right-hand side of the car.

Deaths from road accidents are more than twice as high in South Africa as they are globally. According to published reports, the high incidence of mortality in these collisions is due to a combination of poor driving, limited enforcement of traffic laws, road rage, aggressive driving, distracted driving, and driving under the influence of alcohol. Travelers should use caution at all times when driving, and especially avoid nighttime travel outside major cities. Road conditions are generally good in South Africa; however, excessive speed, poor lighting on rural roads, and insufficient regulatory control of vehicle maintenance and operator licensing have resulted in an increasing number of traffic fatalities. Drivers should also take care to avoid pedestrians crossing roads or major highways.

Traffic lights are frequently out of order. Please treat all intersections with malfunctioning traffic lights as a four-way stop. Travelers are advised to carry mobile phones. Please note that texting or talking without a hands-free unit while driving is a violation of South African law. U.S. mobile phones may not work in South Africa, but rental mobile phones are widely available and may be rented from kiosks at major airports. The nationwide emergency number for the police is 10111, and the nationwide number for ambulance service is 10177. It is not necessary to dial an area code when calling these numbers.

Pedestrian Safety: Take extreme care when crossing streets. Collisions involving vehicles and pedestrians are all too common on South African roadways. Pedestrian deaths occur regularly, including four cases involving U.S. citizen victims since 2008. Drivers are often aggressive towards pedestrians and fail to yield the right-of-way, even in marked crosswalks. NOTE: The U.S. Embassy in Pretoria and Consulates General in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban are located on busy city streets, and visitors should exercise caution when walking to and from these facilities.

This replaces the Country Specific Information for South Africa dated October 7, 2011, to update sections on Entry and Exit Requirements, Safety and Security, Medical Facilities and Health Information, and Medical Insurance.

The Hague. June 16 2013 The article is an edited version of a chapter in the book Freedom in Self-determination by J.G. Zandberg

-- Discrimination versus racism

According to the Oxford dictionary the word ‘discrimination’ means “recognition and understanding of the difference between one thing and another”. People make distinctions because they value one choice over the other. Freedom does not exist when there is no opportunity to choose between different options.

The ban on discrimination cannot mean that people are not allowed to make distinctions...

In light of the fact that freedom is an essential element of the Western Enlightenment, the ban on discrimination cannot mean that people are not allowed to make distinctions. The ban on discrimination concerns the nature of a particular discrimination and not the principle itself. The Western Enlightenment considers it as just to make distinctions when one’s own interests are served and success is not based on the oppression of others.

Is a Jew racist because he is Jewish? Judaism is first and foremost a religion based on ethnicity and descent whereby everyone who is of different descent is excluded. Exclusion is in Judaism then discrimination on ethnic grounds. Despite this, Judaism is not illegal. Is it for people allowed to determine with what group they identify or should it be imposed by government? And what identity should people have? Is it racist to exclude others when they also have the ability to form their own group? Every form of association necessarily involves excluding others who do not fit certain criteria.

If a society accepts freedom of association it needs to accept that people form associations with people they identify and exclude those they don’t.

Diversity is not Apartheid

Discrimination should be illegitimate when people deliberately disadvantage others based on race, religion or sexual orientation. Something should only be outlawed if it is directed at intentionally harming others and not when people decide to choose to be independent of the other.

It is often incorrectly assumed that making distinctions based on ethnicity is a major threat to a free and multicultural world. However, a multicultural environment is based on the existence of groups that organise themselves based on descent and affinity.

A multicultural environment cannot exist without making distinctions based on ethnic criteria. The principle of making distinctions based on ethnicity can therefore never be bad in a multicultural environment because it is the foundation of that system, thereby labeling it as ‘good’. In light of the fact that the term ‘discrimination’ is used as a moral judgment to say that the exclusion and prejudices of others based on ethnicity is evil, we can conclude that to make distinctions based on ethnicity in a multicultural environment is not discrimination or racism.

The world is multicultural but an individual country can choose not to be...

It is also important to mention that although the world is multicultural, an individual country can choose not to be. It is legitimate to choose to be a monocultural country as long as other countries also have the ability to develop their culture. In fact, a country that is highly monocultural actually increases the degree of multiculturalism if you take a global perspective. This is due to the fact that when all countries have the same degree of ‘multiculturalism’ every country starts to look the same ending up with a world that has less diversity.

Afrikaner groups are accused of 'apartheid' when promoting their own culture:

"When Afrikaner groups try to promote their culture and support their people, opponents often attack this activity by claiming that this is a form of Apartheid. Diversity is however not Apartheid. The former implies freedom while the latter is based on oppression.

The political system of Apartheid is seen as illegitimate because success of one group is based on the loss of another.

The struggle for a strong and successful Afrikaner culture and people is not Apartheid since it is based on promoting the success of one group (the Afrikaners) without it being based on the loss of others.

Self-determination protects against neo-racism

Undermining of people’s own culture is not left- or right-wing, populist or elitist, but criminal. Liberal multiculturalism often does not revolve around appreciating other cultures, but instead around the undermining of the dominant culture in order to weaken potential competitors and win a privileged position in society. Normative multiculturalism can therefore often be seen as neo-racism whereby this racism is anti-white, anti-Western and anti-European. The multicultural society is a descriptive term, since it is a choice on whether you want to have a public domain consisting of one dominant culture or of several distinct cultures. It is a normative concept and implies political choices. Undermining the Afrikaner culture is therefore a form of neo-racism that can only be countered through a form of self-determination whereby pride in the culture is restored.

For a people to have self-determination it is necessary that there is solidarity between the members of that people, because otherwise a people cannot exist. This solidarity rises by definition above the solidarity they have with people of another group. Such a distinction does not mean that one is racist. It is up to anyone themselves to decide the group to which one wishes to belong and on the basis of which characteristics this group is defined. These characteristics can include cultural, social and heritable factors. As long as the success of the group that is formed in such a way is not the result of the oppression and exclusion of other persons and groups then such a classification is legitimate. When a tribe in the Amazon claims rights by invoking their ethnicity and the fact that they have lived in the area for many centuries, they are not racist. It is not up to someone else to decide on what characteristics you want to form a group, because that would deny the principle of self-determination and is therefore a colonial attitude that causes many indigenous groups to be unable to legally organize themselves against their marginalization.

For example, 'race' is not a social construction but a biological construction that is deliberately interpreted incorrectly according to the interests of those in power. The 19th century scientific classification of humanity in different races was aimed at legitimizing the positions of power whereby Europeans stood at the top. Activists have tried to undermine this reasoning by presenting race as a social construction.

The past is hereby ridiculed by pointing out that there are no pure races and that the entire concept was thus wrong.

However, purity is not applicable to a biological organism and therefore not to humans nor to nature, but that does not mean that race is a social construct. The hierarchical classification of the world on the basis of ethnicity was a social construction, not the idea of race itself.

In recent decades, the scientific community, however, has gone too far in their activism and the current position is as unscientific as that of the 19th century to a level where the position is again a form of colonialism.

Solidarity is the removal of injustice

Solidarity between people is only possible if the success of one does not come at the expense of the other. Solidarity depends on justice. Solidarity cannot be imposed because then it is oppression. Genuine solidarity is the removal of injustice. Such injustice consists of obstructions that disadvantage people in pursuing their survival. When people are hindered in their pursuit to survive they will be unable to get a respected position in society which causes them to become vindictive whereby distance between people is created. People will then work against each other which leads to an increasingly rapid disintegration. This makes the community less prosperous and therefore less able to provide success. If you cannot become successful, then you are a loser and no-one wants to be a loser or part of a losing team. "Being successful" should be understood as the ability to ensure your chances of survival (and that of your children, and so on). When people get the feeling that the group they belong to is a losing team then they will switch their loyalty instantly and try to become part of another, winning group. Only if the individual interests for survival are deemed equivalent for all members of the group, can there be genuine and true solidarity. Such an alignment of interests does not mean that everyone in all respects needs to make the same choices. Western culture has the concept of tolerance that is based on the insight that people belonging to a particular group have different capabilities from each other and that this can be to the benefit of everyone. There is thus a win-win situation.

When a call for self-determination is present there is by definition, a lack of solidarity within (that) society:

When a call for self-determination is present then there is by definition a lack of solidarity within society. People's interests are then violated by those in power and by others exposed to a similar oppression. As a result, the survival of people is in jeopardy. In response, people try to create solidarity where it has disappeared. To have freedom, it is always necessary to have solidarity between people.

A people can only call on the right to self-determination is it is excluded from political participation, seriously oppressed and its survival is threatened

"Today, the right to self-determination is interpreted as a right to determine one’s own political future whereby in exceptional situations this could lead to an independent state. Self-determination therefore does not automatically mean that one has a right to full independence.

The exceptional situations in which the right to self-determination does lead to a right to independence include situations where there are gross human rights violations and whereby the future survival of the population is threatened. A people can only call on the right to independence if it is excluded from political participation, seriously oppressed and its survival is threatened. "

_______________

- The article is an edited version of a chapter in the book "Freedom in Self-determination"- by J.G. Zandberg, treasurer at UNPO

"On the 23rd December 1985, I was with my Father, photo journalist Jo Toerien, in his studio in Amanzimtoti. It was a hot summer's day, I was an 18 years old enjoying the coolness of the air-conditioned studio, casually chatting to him about an upcoming assignment. I often accompanied my dad on some of his photo shoots. Our laughing and bantering was suddenly interrupted by a profound and heavy thud that made the windows shudder. Everything stood still, we both looked at each other bewildered and immediately his desk phone rang. It was brief conversation; he went white in the face, slammed the phone down, grabbed his camera bag and bolted over to the Sanlam Shopping Centre.

"You could already see the grey smoke enveloping the shopping mall and billowing into the streets. He dashed off in between the crowds and the chaos, the local police were trying to cordon off the road and do crowd control; they knew him well and ushered him through. He recalls the odd smells, a mixture of wet cement and iron and almost like that smell you encounter on Guy Fawkes day. There was screaming, crying, the wailing of the engines of fire trucks, the voices that shouted and echoed off the walls.

"The blast had created a zig-zag effect on the internal structure. Then the reality of it all hit ....Bomb? what bomb, why?.... there were sheets of glass, bits of metal, his Nikon camera flashing into the darkness of the passages.

People were sliding in the blood...

"The blood lay everywhere, people were sliding in it. The smell of it was nauseating. People were galvanized into action as they started to help others.

"This was the day the name African National Congress became a name synonymous with cowardice, hatred and terrorism. The people of this small coastal town’s reverie was knocked senseless that day. Blacks, whites, Indians and coloureds alike were affected by the senseless brutality. This sickening act of the ANC did not encourage people to listen to their plight, instead it turned people against them, turned them into nothing but common criminals who felt nothing to murder innocent women and children.

Recently, the current ANC government, incited further hatred in the people of this once glittering jewel of the south coast by renaming a main road -- Kingsway Road in Amanzimtoti -- after the bomber to "Andrew Zondo Road”. This 19 year old ANC militant member, was thankfully hung on the 9th September 1986.

The photos taken by my Father will always remind us of our bloody history and of the calibre of the men who now run this country." (*Name withheld).

Background details on Amanzimtoti bomb - testimony and aftermath:

The Amanzimtoti bomb killed three small Afrikaner children, namely Willem Arie van Wyk 2; Isabella Margretha van Wyk 5, and eight-year-old Johan Smit. Two white women were also killed: Mrs Irma Bencini 48 and Anna Shearer, 43. Sixty-one people were injured: many were blinded and left permanently disabled. It's not on record how many of those injured victims have since succumbed from their injuries.

The limpet mine had been placed in a refuse bin outside the Sanlam shopping centre. Most of the victims were holidaymakers doing last minute Christmas shopping. The shopping centre was very crowded.

Sibusiso Andrew Zondo (19) was arrested in February 1986. Two other Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK, Spear of the Nation) male members thought also to have been involved in the bombing, Phumezo Nxiweni (20) and Sipho Stanley Bhila (31), were killed by the police during a shoot-out while they were trying to arrest them.

The state’s main witness in the case, a Mofokeng, told the court that he had provided the limpet mine and accompanied Zondo, 19, to the shopping centre. Mofokeng claimed that the explosion was in retaliation for the South African security forces’ raid on Maseru Lesotho four days earlier, in which nine people were killed. Zondo, who admitted his role in the bombing at his trial, was convicted and given five death sentences. He was executed on 9 September 1986. He refused to apply for an appeal against his death sentence.

In her statement to the Commission, Zondo’s mother said that Zondo had told his parents when he was in matric that he would leave the country when he finished school, as he was ‘fed up with the system’. His parents never saw him again, but he contacted them briefly a week before his arrest. She said that people leaving his memorial service in KwaMashu were attacked and two children killed. Zondo’s brother was seriously assaulted and subsequently suffered from epilepsy, which finally led to his death.

Johan Smit 8, is a martyr, said his father Cornelius to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Mr Cornelius Smit, whose little son Johan died in the explosion, told the TR-Commission that "he saw his son as a martyr whose death had helped usher in the new South Africa". [JB00193/02/PS].

Other victims of the explosion who made statements to the Commission included Mr Ian Shearer [KZN/NNN/522/DN] whose wife, Anna was killed; and Ms Hluphekile Nkabinde [JB0020/03VT] who was taking her employer’s two-year-old son, Willem van Wyk for a walk when the bomb exploded, killing the child and injuring her [KZN/NG/010/DN]. [JB00207/03VT

2013-04-28 By a Beeld newspaper research team: "Ex-pres Nelson Mandela's direct descendants live in South Africa's wealthiest neighborhoods and own business interests in many dozens of successful companies. It's practically impossible to trace the exact extent of the Mandela Family Wealth because of the intricate web of trusts in which their wealth is kept hidden from the public eye.

The lack of public documentation makes this research task exceedingly difficult. However -- write Beeld newspaper's researchers Andrew Trench, Tanduxolo Jika and Jeanne van der Merwe -- the most recognizably-wealthy 'Mandela Entrepreneurs' are granddaughters Zaziwe and Zamaswazi (Swati) Dlamini, who are in the public eye with a reality-TV programme and a Mandela-clothing range.

Grandson Zondwa Mandela also hit the headlines recently due to his involvement - with Pres Jacob Zuma's grandson Khulubuse Zuma - in the controversialm, now totally destroyed Aurora Gold Mine. Huge sums running into the many millions were paid to liquidators and directors while the mine-workers suffered: (they were not receiving their salaries for months on end, and survived only with their families because they received food-aid from Helping Hand, the charity branch of Solidarity trade union.)

The South African Company Registry shows that the Mandela children and grandchildren have been and/or are involved over the past two decades in some 200 companies across a wide spectrum of sectors: property, investment, railway-engineering, minerals, medical firms, fashion and entertainment. The children and grandchildren of the Mandela clan are currently actively engaged/involved in more than 110 companies, the registration records show.

Their massive wealth is hidden inside a network of at least 24 trusts drawn up by the family's ex-lawyer Ismail Ayob. Some of these trusts own various wealthy properties in some of Johannesburg's most luxurious neighbourhoods.

- Makaziwe Mandela 's Hyde Park mansion, occupying 3,575m2 is registered in the ownership of the Makaziwe M-trust - according to the latest valuation roll it's worth some R13,6 million.

- Mandela's grandson Ndaba Mandela provides his domicile at his Houghton property - valued at R4,5 million and owned by the Iterele Investment Corporation: a company in which Mandela lawyers George Bizos and Bally Chuene are the directors.

- Tukwini Mandela owns a R1,7 million property in Pretoria which is registered in her own name.

- His daughter's Zindzi Mandela Family-trust also owns a property of R2million in Houghton.

- Makaziwe - Mandela's oldest surviving daughter - is an active director in 16 companies - amongst those the South Africa affiliate of the Swiss multinational food giant Nestlé, a shopping centre in Kimberley NC, two railway-engineering companies and four other companies which appear to be engaged in mineral-explorations.

Makaziwe Mandela has held directorships of 40 companies since the mid-1990s.

- Mandela's daughter Zenani Dlamini -- currently the ambassador in Argentina -- holds nine directorships in companies. She was also a co-director of a company together with Clinton Nassif - a man linked to the murder of SA mining-magnate Brett Kebble.

- Zondwa Mandela, Khulubuse Zuma and President Jacob Zuma 's lawyer Michael Hulley are co-directors in Labat Africa. Those three also at one stage held directorships together in the ill-fated Aurora gold-mine but have resigned from those posts.

- Granddaughter Nandi Mandela is a co-director in the town-planning company Linda Masinga & Associates - which according to its website completed many contractors for KwaZulu-Natal municipalities.

- Grandson Kweku Mandela is an ex-director of a movie company which has produced many shows for DStv's Comedy Central channel.

- His nephew Ndaba Mandela is a director in a Johannesburg entertainment company.

Nelson Mandela himself does not appear to hold many assets in his own name, reports Beeld newspaper:

Last year the Nelson Mandela Foundation paid R2,9million to 'The Founder', only slightly more than the previous year's R2,8 million.

As a former South African president he also receives a lifelong presidential salary.

20130616

Is this top journalist David Bullard's more sensitive side? 'Fruitcake, Cocks, Gang-Rape of small businesses, Raging Harridans' ... today's South African journalism at its worst.

Nothing illustrates the filthy gutter level of present-day South African journalism better than the verbal cock-fight which raged this week between South African journalists David Bullard, Ivo Vegter and Free Market Foundation director Leon Louw - versus a 40-strong group of anti-rape activists.

David "Mdavo' Bullard (twitter @lunchout2) didn't exactly show his 'sensitive side' when he jumped feet-first into a verbal cock-fight between "Outraged English-speaking White Males" versus "Wimmen Activists" rape survivors on Twitter. The twitter-row erupted after columnist/journalist Ivo Vegter (below) defended the use of the word "rape" by Free Market Foundation executive director Leon Louw -- when he described the way in which government gets businesses to agree to absurd new legislation: in this case the controversial Business Licensing Bill: (below)

Above: SA journalist Ivo Vegter and Free Market Foundation exec Leon Louw (right) raised the hackles of a group of anti-rape activists. The women-activists raised a ruckus about the use of the word 'rape' as relating to the ANC-regime's new 'Business Licensing Bill. This Bill is indeed an abominable document - it will effectively give government officials legal license to shake down even the smallest, most struggling entrepreneurs -- even more than they are already doing. The verbal exchanges between the men and the women inevitably ended up, as such verbal battles always do, in a cock-fight. And that vile new law which will destroy even the smallest entrepreneur, has now been completely forgotten...

Fruitcake, Cocks, Gang-Rape of small businesses ... South African journalism at its best?

Top South African Sunday Times columnist David 'Mdavo" Bullard @lunchout2 jumped in cock-first, writing about self-exiled South African journalist, author and rape survivor Charlene Smith: "Excellent piece by @IvoVegter . The Smith woman seems in urgent need of psychiatric help. But US Medicare ain't cheap... 'and: 'Don't worry about La Smith's comment. She hasn't seen a dick, big or small, in years...' and... 'those who worked with her 30 years ago tell me she was a fruitcake back then...'

Above right: Bullard himself views this cock-fight in a different light altogether. He views all the women who launched into their attack as 'Wimmen Lefty Activists" and "Spitting Harridans' who attacked Free Speech Rights in South Africa. writing on June 13:

"Reserve Bank governor Gill Marcus is living on borrowed time I suspect. Last week she made a speech echoing pretty much everything I wrote in last week's column -- thus committing the unforgivable sin of 'negativism". He continues:

Anti free-speech campaign by the 'propagandist, money-spinning Lead SA"

Thanks to pernicious campaigns like the propagandist, money-spinning "Lead SA" --those of us who are a mite critical of the current administration are no longer permitted to speak our thoughts, however sensible they may be. Well we are but be assured that the lefties will be down on us like a ton of bricks. As poor Ivo Vegter found out last week when he posted a piece on the Daily Maverick website defending the use of "rape" as used by Free Market Foundation executive director Leon Louw in an opinion piece he had written for BizDay. --- Louw had used gang rape as a metaphor for how governments get business to agree to absurd new legislation, in this case the controversial Business Licensing Bill. He made it quite clear that he was referring to 'regulatory gang rape'.

Before you could say Jimmy Savile the wrath of the entire feminist/activist/professional victim movement was upon him. The Twittersphere was full of swivel eyed lunacy and poor Louw apparently received a letter from 40 outraged (what else?) wimmin activists presumably demanding an apology and refusing to accept the use of the word "rape" to mean anything other than the violation of a woman against her will. - - So bad luck Alexander Pope.

"Louw was his usual decent self and discussed the problem with the complainants but faced with 40 spitting harridans he probably had no option. Ivo Vegter then wrote his piece and got into even more trouble for trying to defend Louw's freedom of speech. The favoured tactic of the loony left is to drown out civilised discourse and resort to insult.

One particularly poisonous comment was from Charlene Smith, an ex SA struggle journalist who has pushed off to live in the US of A where she could dispense her dubious wisdom in comparative safety. Her contribution was thus :

"Ivo Vegter has always been a rather boring little man. The sort who resorts to adolescent shock tactics-dropping his pants or someone else's-to get attention away from the fact that he is a dull writer. I suspect he has small dick syndrome".

Bullard writes: "Hardly impressive stuff from someone who claims on her Facebook page to be a multi award winning journalist. Such was the level of debate from the outraged wimmin activist crowd. Having worked briefly with Vegter on "The Maverick" magazine I can vouch for the fact that he is neither boring nor short and that his writing is far from dull. In fact, I would recommend him over me any day if you want a decent bit of analysis. Of course, his views on fracking are a bit suspect but nobody's perfect. As to his dick....well I haven't played squash with him so I am in no position to comment.

So what is this all about once the tear gas and smoke has cleared? Well it sure as hell aint about rape being an awful and far too common occurrence in SA. It's all about a group of wimmin victims who believe their rights trump everybody else's. How dare we use a word that might possibly offend a sensitive woman? In future Mr Louw kindly send your copy to be pre approved by the Wimmin's Activists and they'll tell you what you can say - you cheeky misogynist you.

And of course it's about people who lead rather drab and uneventful lives demanding and getting a bit of media attention. Just imagine the chit chat at this week's coven meeting...."we really did it to that Leon Louw and Ivo Vegter dint we? That'll show them. Bastard men." Have you ever heard such nonsense or, indeed, anything so dangerous?

LOONY LEFTISM IS CREEPING ACROSS THE LAND...

But I'm afraid that loony leftism is creeping across the land and thanks to social media, idiots who wouldn't otherwise have their voices heard are able to muster reinforcements on Twitter and howl down any point of view with which they happen to disagree. Which is why it's important to expose them as the uncouth charlatans they are. To do otherwise is to let the howling mob win the day.

David Bullard still suffers constant pain from 9mm bullet, and has terrible nightmares.

David Bullard continues: "I was shot and left for dead in 2007. I feel constant pain from the 9mm bullet lodged in my pelvis to this day and suffer terrible nightmares. I don't want to make a big thing about it but I would like you all to stop using phrases like "giving it his best shot" and "shooting the lights out". The memories of this bodily violation are much too painful for me and being shot is no laughing matter, particularly if the guy with the gun aims properly. Failure to observe this simple request may lead me to become another outraged, foul mouthed, demented perpetual victim.

"Apropos Gill Marcus and I - and our negativity. It's not only Dot and Kumar who we have upset with our humble economic observations and suggestions that if we don't extract a digit then we'll soon be on the third world scrap heap. Cyril Ramaphosa has also told us to stop whining about SA's problems.- "We must move away from being the biggest complainers" he says and he is, of course, absolutely right when he says we must also offer solutions.

I didn't have to think long and hard about this one but one obvious solution occurred to me:

Vote for somebody who can run a country without plundering the public purse in 2014.

The term "genocide" was coined by legal scholar Raphael Lemkin in 1943, writing:

'Generally speaking, genocide does not necessarily mean the immediate destruction of a nation, except when accomplished by mass killings of all members of a nation. It is intended rather to signify a coordinated plan of different actionsaiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves.

The objectives of such a plan would be the disintegration of the political and social institutions, of culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups, and the destruction of personal security, liberty, health, dignity and lives of the members of such groups... '